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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Occupy Denver Turns Violent

Remember all those Tea Party rallies that turned violent and where protesters attacked the police? Good times.

In the most violent Saturday in more than a month of Occupy Denver demonstrations and marches, Denver police fired mace and pepper balls at a crowd of protesters in Civic Center today and arrested 20 people.

Two of the protesters were held for felony charges after police said an officer was knocked off his motorcycle and other officers were kicked, as they moved into the park to tear down illegal tents.

The first mid-afternoon confrontation had police and state troopers shoulder-to-shoulder pushing a group of marchers off the state Capitol steps, which is out-of-bounds to protesters without a permit. Some of the Occupy Denver sympathizers then raced to set up tents in Civic Center, where city officials have allowed ongoing food tables and sleeping bags but not sleeping structures.

Protesters there surged around about eight police officers. Other officers responding to calls for help fired the pepper bullets, which resemble paint balls. One protester filming the scene — one of hundreds of cameras documenting police activity — was knocked out of a tree in the melee.

Five people were arrested in the first conflict, before 3 p.m. Hundreds of officers and SWAT members converged on the park and Broadway was shut down for hours as police and protesters reached a tense stalemate.

About a dozen of the angriest marchers stood nose-to-nose with police and screamed profanity or anti-Wall Street slogans. Others tried to calm the situation, even while filming.

Just before 6 p.m., with ambulances waiting and police cruisers covering whole blocks around the park, officers donned gas masks and used megaphones to warn protesters the remaining tents were illegal. Wielding long batons, a few dozen officers pushed into the park and formed a circle around the tents.

A Democrat congressman came in to try and control the mob and offer words of encouragement.

During the mid-afternoon stalemate, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter waded into the crowd alone but for a bullhorn, urging protesters to remain as peaceful as they had been during his previous visit. A few in the crowd drowned his words, shouting that it was the cops in assault gear who needed to tone it down, not them.

"Obviously you're making an impression," said Perlmutter, the Seventh District Democrat. "You've got to de-escalate this thing."

The group in Denver may want to adopt some of the ideals that seem to be finding their way into the group in Dallas, who are starting to embrace ethical capitalism while protesting against crony-capitalism.

For example, they are supporting one successful Texas business owner who got shafted by the system .

As explained on one Occupy member's page http://tiny.cc/c8m6j , a business owner was involved in a civil dispute and paid millions of dollars to lawyers, and when he objected to additional fees after settling the case, they had a “friendly” judge seize all of his possessions, without any notice or hearing, and essentially ordered him under “house arrest” as an involuntary servant to the lawyers. The business owner has been under this "servant" order for 10 months and is prohibited from owning any possessions, prohibited from working, etc..

So many ways to interpret "We want jobs!" a man shouted back. <span>"Democrats won't get elected anymore</span>!" Mine? Get Dem patronage job before Repubs get in and support capitalist work-for-pay or invest-for-ROI instead. Not that patronage is unknown to Rs, but still.

The largest obstruction to an individual getting a job in this economy is mobility and desire. Work is available in the oil patch (gulf coast, N. Dakota) and other places but people tied to family obligations or a home they can't sell cannot pick up and relocate. Some areas of labor shortage also have a housing shortage and requires people to put up with a bit of hardship.

My guess is if you can intentionally camp out for a month in a city park you are capable of enduring some hardship. Then there is the pre-employment drug screen...